KALEIDOSCOPE Design Challenge

A kaleidoscope is a tube filled with mirrors that refract the light while beads or bits of colored glass spin and dance. The viewer turns the tube and catches the perfect bit of light. The mirrors create symmetry and chaos simultaneously. Patterns emerge, but in a blink of an eye, they are gone, replaced with an entirely new set of colors and shapes. You look through the eyepiece and discover magic.

In December 2016, we invite all jewelry makers to share with us a piece of jewelry in keeping with our next theme, KALEIDOSCOPE. Traditional kaleidoscopes are made of almost anything: brass, wood, glass, even cardboard. How creative can you be with your materials? A whirling array of colorful beads, a rainbow of patina on your metal, a symmetrical pattern repeating and then changing. What can you create?

Show us your ever-changing, ever-evolving jewelry style. We would love for all beaders, metalsmiths, clay artists and other makers to interpret the theme KALEIDOSCOPE in their own way and produce a work as creative as it is beautiful.

Any time between now and December 28, submit a photo of your work and a brief description of how your piece fits the theme. At the conclusion of the contest, the Facet editorial staff will vote, and OUR THREE FAVORITE PIECES will be announced. We will share photos of the winning pieces on our social media sites and in our newsletter, so be sure to include links to your personal website, Etsy shop, Instagram or anywhere else that our readers can view more of your work. If you’d like to participate in a Five Question Spotlight about your work and your inspiration, we’d love to run it on Facet!

You may submit two images for each monthly contest. You can find an entry form, as well as other rules for the Facet Design Challenge on our contest site.

We can’t wait to have you share your work with the Facet community, and gain inspiration from the work of your fellow jewelers. You can view all of the submissions to the Design Challenge here.